Vault-head.



A. W. KURZ.

VAULT HEAD.

APPLlc/Tlou man 050.6. 19u.

Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

' orricn AUGUST W. KURZ, OF YORK, N. Y.

Specication of Letters Patent. Patentd Aug, 10, 419x15,

Application led December 6, 1911. Serial No. 664,237.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, "AUGUST W. Kunz, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and

5 State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements iny Vault- Heads, of which the following is a specification.

The main object of this invention is to provide a vault head consisting of a main member and a cover, the main member being provided with seats to support the cover in its normal spanning position and the cover being loosely connected to the main member by means of a locking device, said locking device forming no part ofthe supporting means when the cover is in its normal position.

Another object of the invention is to provide' a vault head of very simple construction in which the cover is at all times loosely interlocked with the main member so that it may be swung from its closed'to its open position but cannot be detachedy or wholly withdrawn from the main member.

Otherequally important objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter. Y

' ln the drawings, FigureA l'A isa plan view of a vault headconstructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 a transverse verticalA sectional view on the line II-ll of' Fig. l; Fig. 3 asimilar view of a portion of the vault head thel cover beingshown in its raised oropen position; vFiga a transverse vertical sectional viewfof a portion ofV a vault head showing a` slightly different yarrangementl of the meansfor locking the cover to the main member; and Fig. 5 a detail sectional viewof a. portion of a main member showing. a slightly differentform of cover supporting lug.

Referring to the various parts by numerals, l designates the main member which is formed Vwith i an y/upstandiiig rectangular ange 2 which surrounds a correspondingly shapedmanhole, andwith a horizontal base ange 3 extending outwardly from the lower edge of the flange 2. This base Hange is adapted to rest upon a suitable support, such as lthe masonry surrounding a-basin opening'or sewer inlet or vent. Thev ange 2 of the main member is provided near its for' ward wall with the inwardly extending lugs t on which the forward edge ofthe cover" rests when it is in its normal or spanning position. Theside members of the flange 2 are provided adjacent the rear member of the upstanding iange, on their inner surfaces, 'with cover supporting lugs 5. The upper surfaces of the cover supporting lugs shown in Figs. l and 2Iaie inclined rearwardly and downwardly, for a Vpurpose which will hereinafterappear; and the rear member of the upstanding flange is formed with the recess 6 at the rear ends of the cover supporting lugs 5 to permitv any dirt which may drop on the kcover supporting lugs to be forcedrearwardly from said lugs and down through said recesses.

The cover 7 is provided along its side edges, at the rear ends thereof, with the depending feet 8; and along its-rear edge with the depending flange 9. The flange 9 is adapted to bear squarely against the inner .lowersurfaces of the feet 8 are downwardly and rearwardly inclined to correspond with the inclinationof the A upper surfaces of the cover supporting lugs 5 so that the tendency ofthe. cover wheni it is thrown to its normal spanning positionV will be to ride down said inclined upper surfaces of the supporting lugs to its normal seating position, thereby bringing the cover flangeQ against the inner surface' of the rear member of the upstanding flange of the main member. The feet 8 of the cover are formed with 4vthe large open- 'ings l0, said openingsregi'stering withthe recess or channel in the under side of the body of the cover, as shown clearly in Fig. 2.l Extendingthrough these openings and transversely of the main member is a locking rod l1, said rod extending across the manhole and b'eingpermanently secured to theside members of the upstanding flange 2. yThis rod is below the body of the cover and is not engaged thereby when the ycover is in its normal spanning position, so that it will not receive any of the strains'brou'ght rupon the cover, ysaid strains .being/taken up entirely by the lugs l and 5 on the main mem-y the cover and the supportinglugs 5 are engaged by said feet where said lugs join the ber. The feet 8 extend to the rear edge of 105 tance forward of the rear memberrof the upstanding flange 2 and the apertures through the feet 8 permit the cover to be moved forwardly away from the iiange of the main member sufficiently to permit it to be swung upwardly and rearwardly to its open position, as shown in Fig. 3.

It is manifest from the construction described that the cover cannot be tilted upwardly by any pressure brought thereon along its rear edge, all of said pressure being taken up by the supporting lugs 5 without in the least tending to tilt upwardly the forward edge of the cover. It is also manifest that the interlocking rod l1 will be free of all strains brought on the cover and will f not serve as a supporting means for the cover whenl it is in its normal spanning position.

In Fig. 4f the recesses 10EL in the feet 82L are wholly below the body of the cover; and the upper surfaces of the supporting lugs 5a are horizontal. The operation of the construction shown in Fig. i is substantially the same as that shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In this construction the rear flange 9 of the cover is dispensed with.

In the construction shown in Fig. 5 the upper surfaces of the supporting lugs 5b incline forwardly and downwardly; just the reverse of the inclination of the corresponding lugs shown in Fig. 2. In this view is also shown a pin l1-` carried by the main frame and vadapted to extend inwardly through the opening in the adjoining foot of the cover. It will, of course, be understood that two of these pins might be used, one extending inwardly from each side .flange of the main member. The pin 11a may be secured to the frame in any suitable manner.

It will, of course, be understood that the construction shown and described, and embodying my invention may be varied in many details without departing from the invention and I do not wish to be limited to any particular details of construction exy cept, of course, as said details may be made "the subject matter of specific claims.

From the foregoing it is manifest that I provide an exceedingly simple, cheaply constructed, and efcient vault head wherein the parts may be very strongly constructed. It is also manifest that the cover will be loosely interlocked with the main member and cannot be detached or wholly removed therefrom.

What I claim is:

1. A vault head comprising a main member formed with cover supporting lugs, a

' cover formed with depending feet adapted to engage the supporting lugs upon the ymain member, apertures formedI in said feet and an interlocking rod connected to the main member and extending through the lapertures in said feet, said rod permitting the front edge of the cover to be swung upwardly from the main member and preventing the complete removal of the cover fromthe main member.

2. A vault head comprising a main member formed with a cover supporting lug, a cover formed with a depending foot adapted to bear on the cover supporting lug of the main member, a transverse aperture in said foot and a rod carried by the main member and extending through said aperture, said aperture being larger than the rod and the walls of said aperture being out of contact with the rod when the cover is in its normal spanning position, whereby the cover may be bodily shifted and then" placed that it will be out of contact with the cover when said cover is in its normal spanning position.

i. A vault head comprising a main member formed with cover supporting lugs, a cover formed with depending feet at the rear edge thereof and adapted to rest on the supporting lugs, the rear edges of said feet being adapted to lie close to the adjacent wall of the main member when the cover is in its normal spanning position, the .cover feet being formed with transverse apertures, an interlocking rod carried by the main member and extending through the apertures in the cover feet, said rod being materially smaller than said apertures and free of the walls of said apertures when the cover is in its normal spanning position, said apertures permitting the cover to be bodily shifted and then swung upwardly at its forward edge. l

5. A vault head comprising a Vmain member formed with cover supporting lugs having their upper surfaces inclined, a cover formed with depending feet at the rear edge thereof and adapted to rest on the supporting lugs, the under surfaces of said feet being inclined to correspond with the inclination of the supporting lugs, the rear edges of said feet being adapted to lie close to the adjacent wall of the main member when the cover is in its normal spanning position, the cover feet being formed with transverse apertures, an interlocking rod carried by the main member and extending through the apertures in the cover feet, said rod being llO materially smaller than said apertures and free of the walls of said apertures when the cover is in its normal spanning position, said apertures permitting the cover to be bodily shifted and then swung upwardly at its forward edge.

6. A vault head comprising a main member formed with cover supporting lugs having their upper surfaces inclined rearwardly and downwardly, a cover formed with depending feet at the rear edge thereof and adapted to rest on the supporting lugs, the rear edges of said feet being adapted to lie close Ito the adjacent wall of the main member when the cover is in its normal spanning position, the cover feet being formed with transverse apertures, an interlocking rod carried by the main member and extending through the apertures in the cover feet, said rod being materially smaller than said apertures and free of the walls of said apertures when the cover is in its normal spanning position, said apertures permitting the cover to be raised and then` projecting into said aperture, the aperture in the main member being substantially larger than the interlocking means, the Walls of said aperture being out of contact with the interlocking means when the cover is in its normal spanning position whereby the cover will' be capable of' a lateral bodily movement and an upward swinging movement, the interlocking means preventing the complete detachment of the cover from the main member.

8. A vault head comprising a main member having an upstanding flange, a cover fitting in said upstanding flange with horizontal apertures near its rear edge and below the upper surface of said cover, a horizontal rod iXed to the main member and eX- tending loosely through said apertures to lock the cover to the main member, said AUGUST W. KURZ.

Witnesses:

F. R. MILLER, L. Masnmn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents,

Washington, D. C. A 

